


12 Days of Sabriel

by GinnyLily



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Advent Calendar, Advent Calendar 2016, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Height Differences, M/M, Sabriel - Freeform, Sam is a Starbucks virgin, Starbucks, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-09-03 14:53:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8718160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinnyLily/pseuds/GinnyLily
Summary: 'Showing up late to class with a Starbucks’ is not Sam’s style at all. Not showing up to class at all because the guy working at Starbucks is confusingly handsome is totally Sam’s style.





	1. On the first day of Sabriel…

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to my first ever Advent Calendar fic! It’s simple: One chapter every two days from now on until Christmas. Chapter lengths will vary between 900 and 2,000 words. It’s all one story though and has to be read in order.
> 
> Premise: everyone is human, monsters don’t exist

Sam Winchester pulled his scarf tighter around his neck. He was late. And cold. And hungry. And he desperately needed a coffee.

Who would have thought that California could be this cold? Not Sam, apparently. Considering that they were less than a week into November, he certainly wasn’t looking forward to the winter months. It wasn’t even that he didn’t own any warm clothes. Back home it could get way colder.

He just hadn’t thought to bring more than a couple of sweaters with him for the winter. The scarf was new; he’d bought it just the day before because the temperature had suddenly dropped sub-zero. He didn’t have the money to buy an entire new winter wardrobe, though. Being eighteen and on his first semester of college, Sam thought, he might have to ask his brother to send him more clothes.

Now he was hurrying down the street, already five minutes late for his first class, trying not to slip on the icy ground or run into people on bikes, who were also struggling not to fall.

That’s when he saw the sign just a few buildings ahead. _Starbucks Coffee_. He wondered if it was worth it. He hadn’t missed any classes so far and he hadn’t been planning on doing so, especially considering that he was only here on a scholarship.

However, the prospect of continuing to run down the busy street in the cold didn’t encourage Sam to stick to his principles. Besides, he’d be late anyway, so why not be late with a coffee? Normally he didn’t like the kind of people who showed up half-way through class with a Starbucks, but right now he could see the appeal of it.

Just when Sam decided to enter the coffee shop, he was pushed hard and fell face forward onto the frozen ground.

He groaned and slowly got up again. Nobody had stopped to help him and whoever had pushed him was gone too.

“Stupid people in stupid winter,” Sam mumbled and held himself upright using the door handle. He felt a bit dizzy and his knees hurt from the fall.

Then the door opened so fast that Sam almost fell down again and a bunch of people spilled outside, cheeks red, coffees in gloved hands. Sam squeezed past them, his head still spinning, and entered the warm coffee shop. It was quiet in here; at least quieter than outside. There were only a handful of people sitting around the tables, none of which took any notice of Sam.

The barista did, though.

“Hey, there. Everything okay? Did you slip out there?” He was a handsome young man, only a few years older than Sam, with messy dark-blonde hair. And he was _short_. Sam had to actually tilt his head a little to look down at the other boy.

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m alright…I think.”

He wasn’t feeling alright, though. His head just kept spinning and his finger and face hurt because of the sudden change of temperature. It was _really_ warm in here.

The short boy smiled. “Good. What can I get you?”

Sam hastily looked at the big boards behind the counter. It had been ages since he had last been to a Starbucks. Must have been a few years back, when he went on a field trip with school… He had to blink a few times before his vision cleared. Way too many delicious sounding, yet mostly unfamiliar drinks were listed: _Caramel Brulée Latte, Fudge Hot Chocolate, Gingerbread Latte, Holiday Spice Flat White, Pumpkin Spice Latte, Caramelized Honey Latte, Coconut Milk Mocha Macchiato, Peppermint White Hot Chocolate, …_

“Um…I’ll take a…um, coffee?”

The barista smiled. “Any special wishes? Or just black coffee?”

“Just black coffee,” Sam said, relieved that that was an option, too.

“Tall, grande or venti?”

“Er…tall.” He wasn’t exactly sure what that even meant.

The blond boy reached for a small cup and asked, still smiling: “Name?”

“Sorry?”

“What’s your name?” The smile stayed there. “You know, so I can write it on the cup and you will know it’s yours.”

“Oh, okay. Sam.” He had heard of this weird custom. And he had always wondered why people ran around with coffee cups with their names on it. Still, he was the only customer in line; it was completely unnecessary to write down his name.

Sam watched the barista write something – it was way more than just three letters – on a cup, paid and sat down at a table near the counter to wait.

It was so warm in here that he’d started to sweat. He took off his scarf and opened his coat. He was still wearing two sweaters underneath, but he really didn’t want to strip in this public space.

Sam glanced at his phone. He had a new text from Brady, asking him to meet up for lunch, and an older one from Dean, asking when he’d come home for Christmas break. Sam quickly replied to Brady and then slid his phone back into his bag. He didn’t want to think about Christmas break, yet.

“One normal black coffee for Sam!”

He flinched, then got up and took the hot cup from the short barista. “Thanks,” he mumbled, grabbed his bag and quickly left the Starbucks.

“Bye, Sammy!” the barista called after him cheerfully.

When Sam was out of the door, he regretted his flight instantly. He didn’t even know why he left. He had already missed so much of his first class, that he could easily skip it. He had a free period after the class, wouldn’t meet Brady for another two hours and it was cold. But now he couldn’t go back inside, that would be even weirder.

So Sam took off, slower this time, his cold fingers wrapped around the hot cup. The barista had nice handwriting, Sam thought.

_'black coffee for Sam -G :)’_

What did the G stand for? The short guy’s name? Gluten-free? Good morning? Globally… garden… gnome… _Globally garden gnome?!_ Sam stopped short in his tracks. What the hell? What did the guy put in his coffee? What was he thinking about? Where even was he?

He shook his head, turned around and realized that he had just taken a wrong turn. What was wrong with him? He was thinking about a _letter_ on a _coffee cup_. He shook his head again. Must be the cold. And Dean’s text. He could practically feel it sitting in his pocket, waiting for a reply. But he hadn’t waited _that_ long.

The text had only arrived yesterday evening. Besides, it was still a few weeks until Christmas.

While walking towards school – in the right direction this time – Sam caught himself thinking about names that started with G. _George, Graham, Gary, Gordon …_

He threw the half-empty cup into the next trash can.


	2. On the second day of Sabriel…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm glad so many people seemed to enjoy it! Thanks for the kudos, I really appreciate it! Here is chapter 2 for you :)
> 
> Premise: everyone is human, monsters don’t exist

Sam hadn't thought this through. Now his back hurt. And his shoulders. Especially his shoulders. He should have stayed in his room. There he would've had to carry his books from his bed to his desk and not a single step further. But no; Sam was stupid. He'd decided that fresh air and a different environment – an environment without a bed – might help his brain focus. He was pretty sure that a sore back wouldn't help him focus.

That was when he walked past the green sign again. Sam hesitated. He'd have to walk ten more minutes to the library and the coffee shop promised warmth, a single table and a hot drink. There weren't many people inside either. The store practically screamed _come in and take a seat_ at him.

He turned towards the door and opened it. It was just then that he remembered that he had no idea what to order. Well, it would have to be another black coffee then.

“Hiya, Sammy! You're back!” There he was again, the short, blond barista behind the counter. He wasn't alone this time, though. Next to him stood a pretty, red-headed girl, only slightly shorter than him. She was young, sixteen at the most, but the blond guy pushed past her and smiled up at Sam. “What can I get you this time? Black coffee again? Or something a little bit more exciting?”

Sam felt himself blush. He couldn't explain why. He also couldn't explain why he took one glance at the boards behind the counter and then stuttered: “No, um...a...G-Gingerbread Latte. Please.” His face felt hot and he just wanted to run. Instead, he watched the short guy scribble onto a cup, paid and sat down at a table, further from the counter this time.

He had just enough time to take out his textbooks when the girl called: “Gingerbread Latte for Sammy!”

Sam wasn't sure if he liked being called 'Sammy' by these strangers. Normally he insisted on being called Sam. Especially by Dean.

He got up quickly, almost knocked a chair over, and took the cup from the girl. She smiled briefly at him before turning towards the next customer. Sam could see the blond guy out of the corner of his eye. He was looking at him.

Back at his table Sam took a big chug from his cup. It burned his mouth but knowing that the barista was watching him, he kept a straight face. Then the writing on the cup caught his eye. It was even more this time.

_'gingerbread latte for Sam, hope you like it -G :D'_

“ _G”_ again. It had to be the first letter of his name. But why was he writing him messages? And why not use his full name?

–

For the next half an hour, Sam was focused on his books. Even in the not-so-quiet coffee shop, he managed to completely forget his surroundings and to delve into page after page of his law-textbooks. Every few minutes he took a sip from his latte and he didn't look up until it was empty.

Sam stretched and looked at his watch. His muscles felt tense but he needed to finish this before meeting Brady and a few others for soccer later.

He decided to get another coffee. There were two girls before him in line, ordering giant cups of something that smelled so sweet, it made Sam feel funny. The girls seemed to know the red-headed barista because they talked and giggled and didn't seem to ever stop. Sam was just about to go back to his table, get his books and leave, when the blond guy handed the girls their cups. The red-head said something with a wide grin. She had lowered her voice but Sam caught the words “new favorite”. Blondie only rolled his eyes. The other two girls giggled, took their cups and left, their giggling intensifying when they saw Sam. He couldn't help feeling that they were laughing about him.

Three other people now waited behind Sam in line and he quickly stepped forward and ordered another Gingerbread Latte. The girl took his order, smiled and wrote something on a cup.

“It's Sammy, right?”

He just nodded, then stepped aside and waited while “G” filled his cup.

“There you go, Sammy,” he said, smiling and – winking. Yes, he actually winked at Sam.

“Thanks,” Sam replied, voice cracking and quickly took the cup back to his table.

 _'Gingerbread Latte'_ it said in a very girly handwriting. Then in the next line: _'Sammy'_ (the girly handwriting again). In the third line, this time in the guy's handwriting: ' _I guess you did like it. Feel free to ask me for my rec next time -G ;)'_

–

Sam drank while working and after another forty-five minutes, the cup was empty again. His phone buzzed.

_**3 new messages** _

_1: Hey sam, we'll meet up early, not so cold_

_2: U wanna come or not? brady_

_3: Sammy you ok? Havent replied. What about chrismas? Youre comin home right? Dad asks if we should come get you or if you can get a ride from some1._

Sam sighed and messaged Brady back: _On my way._

Then he packed up all his books and shoved his phone back into his pocket. He'd reply to Dean when he had more time.

Sam thought about getting another Gingerbread Latte for the way back but when he saw how many people there were queuing, he decided against it. It was so busy that the blond didn't even realize Sam was gone.

 


	3. On the third day of Sabriel...

Sam found that he had been more productive than ever studying at Starbucks. The day after his studying session at the coffee shop, his professor handed out a surprise test and not only did Sam know all the answers, he knew everything without thinking twice about it. He was actually the first one to finish and after reading through it five more times, he handed the test back to the teacher. He got an A.

The next day, Sam was back at Starbucks – and not any Starbucks, of course. When he entered, “G” and the red-headed girl were both behind the counter. There were five people in line but Sam didn't mind. None of them looked like they were going to stay.

When it was almost his turn, Sam remembered that the blond guy had told him to ask for his recommendation. And since today he was the one taking orders while the red-head made the drinks, Sam gathered up all his courage and stepped towards the counter.

The blond barista smiled widely when he recognized Sam. “Hey there, Sammy. How're you doing?”

“Um...” Why the hell did he blush again?! “Good? I...” For some reason his courage was gone as soon as he had opened his mouth. “You...” Thank god there was no one behind him and thank god the red-head was still busy with another order. “You said – wrote – something...your...rec...” Sam's voice was trailing off, getting quieter with every word. His face was burning now. He could see his reflection in a silver jug on the counter (because he was _not_ going to look at blondie!) and his face was redder than Santa's coat.

“Oh yeah, sure.” “G” sounded as if he was holding back a laugh. “I'll mix something for you.”

“Thanks,” Sam mumbled, barely audible, and paid without looking up again.

Three minutes later the red-head called “Sammy” and he hurried to get his cup.

_'For Sammy with love and a bit of imagination from Gabe :)'_ And then in the next line: _'I hope you're ok, kiddo? :))'_

Gabe. The short, blond guy was named Gabe. Short for Gabriel, probably. Sam took a sip from the drink (it was a gigantic cup). It was hot. And chocolaty. And caramely. And  _good_. Sam took another sip. Still good. No; _fantastic_.

He slowly started to take out his textbooks. His face was still warm. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Was he getting sick? Was he overworked? Or was it just the weather? The change in temperature? Or... But Sam didn't want to think about it.

It wasn't the first time that he had a crush. Certainly not the first time he had a crush on a boy. Not that any of those crushes ever worked out; he'd had one girlfriend in tenth grade but that had been it. He usually knew the people he was crushing on personally though; they had been in his class or his soccer team. None of them had been a stranger. And yet, he still felt the same as all the other times: blushing when he saw them, stuttering when he talked to them, nervously sweating when he was near them, getting excited at the prospect of seeing them. But he was just coming in here to study, right? And for the coffee; the coffee was really good!

Still, Sam couldn't shake the feeling that he might have a crush on Gabe. Without even knowing him. And then, Sam realized, that was exactly the point. He wanted to get to know Gabe. Sam shook his head. This wasn't possible – was it?

Absentmindedly he took another sip from his coffee. It really _was_ good. He decided to stop thinking, however, and opened one of his books. He found it interesting that he could still concentrate with Gabe in the room and the realization that he had a crush on the barista. Actually, he mostly forgot about Gabe and his surroundings while reading. He only lived in the world of laws and cases and his personal notes.

–

After a while, Sam had no idea how long it had actually been but it felt like hours, someone cleared their throat next to him. At first, Sam didn't realize that it was directed at him, but then a voice said: “Sorry to interrupt you, Sammy, but we're closing soon and I was wondering if you would like another drink for the way home?”

Sam jerked his head up. There was Gabe, now a little taller than himself, standing next to his table, _only two feet away_. His dark blond hair was even messier than before and single strands were hanging into his face. Up close, Sam could smell the other boy; it was a pleasant scent like coffee, and dog, and deodorant. He could feel himself blush and quickly looked at the clock hanging on the opposite wall. He'd been here for nearly two hours. The lights had been turned on as it was slowly getting dark outside.

“Oh, I didn't...so late already...hm-m-maybe a, um...another one of those...special recommendations?” He glanced up at Gabe with a shy look in his eyes.

“Sure thing, Sammy, just give me a minute!”

And off he was, back behind the counter. Sam packed up his books and stretched. His neck was stiff and his shoulders felt sore from being hunched over the table in the same position for too long. He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

When he got up to pay for his drink, Sam realized that he was the last customer in the coffee shop. The red-headed girl was already clearing the tables and he could hear the cleaning lady rummaging around in the back room.

“Here you go. One special Christmas-themed-power-studying-drink á la Gabriel. With extra warmth and caffeine for a long way home.” He grinned.

“Thank you,” Sam managed to say and handed Gabe a ten-dollar-bill, before taking his coffee and turning towards the door. “Bye.”

“Bye-bye, Sammy! See you soon! Thanks for the tip!”

Sam didn't reply. But he was definitely hoping to see Gabriel soon.

 

 


	4. On the fourth day of Sabriel...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, we're at part 4 already! Time's flying! (I must confess, I didn't do much research for this chapter, so apologies if distances, bus schedules etc. aren't accurate.) Enjoy :)

When Sam left the lecture hall it was snowing.

“Jesus, we're in California, not fucking Antarctica!” Brady had appeared next to him. “I guess soccer is canceled today. You still wanna hang out?

Sam shook his head. “Actually, I could use the time to study. I'm really behind on this one assignment and finals are coming up.”

Brady shrugged. “Well, I guess I should do some work, too. Besides, what else would you do while there's a blizzard going on?”

Sam smiled weakly. This was by no means a blizzard, not even near one. Just a couple of thick, white snowflakes dancing from the sky. He had seen worse. It wasn't even that cold anymore. (Okay, maybe that was because Sam had finally gotten around to buying some warm clothes like the beanie he was now pulling over his shoulder-length hair to stop the snow from getting caught in it.)

“Anyway, I gotta go talk to Professor Azazel. He summoned me to his office.” Brady rolled his eyes. “Something about grades. I mean, hey, I'm studying like twice a week already! Just thought I'd tell you personally because our little overachiever obviously has his phone turned off during lectures.”

“Muted,” Sam mumbled. He'd just spotted something off campus that caught his attention. Someone he thought he knew. “Good luck, Brady, I have to go. See you tomorrow!” And with that he left a confused-looking Brady alone on the snowy pavement.

Sam jogged until he was through the gates, then he slowed to a walking pace. A few feet ahead was a short figure, wrapped in a dark blue coat. The person's hair was wet from the snow, sticking to the head at the top and hanging down flat on the sides. The person was fiddling with a dog leash. On the other end of the leash was a very small, very energetic dog, who was jumping up and down in an attempt to catch as many snowflakes as possible.

When the dog caught sight of Sam, it barked loudly, ignored the snow and started running towards the student. Sam stopped walking. He liked dogs, though he preferred bigger ones. You can't trip over bigger ones that easily.

The dog's owner was caught by surprise and the leash slid through his hands.

“No, Bagel, stop!” the man shouted.

Sam grinned. The dog's name was _'Bagel'_? But he didn't have time to think about it because the dog had reached him and he quickly grabbed the leash. That wasn't necessary, though. As soon as the dog was near enough, it started jumping up at Sam and wagged its tail happily.

“Hello there,” Sam said, smiling, and crouched down to pet the animal.

“Oh thank god, you caught him!” The owner had come running after his dog. “He's such a little rascal, never listens to me.”

Sam looked up. He wanted to say something along the lines of: “Not a problem, it's a really sweet dog you got there.” But when he saw the dog owner's face, all words suddenly left Sam's brain. It felt like he was an infant, unable to speak, though full of desire to communicate.

It was Gabriel. (Of course it was Gabriel. Sam hadn't been hallucinating when he saw the barista walking past, but he was still too surprised and shy to talk to him.)

“Sammy? Is that you?” Gabriel laughed. “I should have known, there aren't many people around here who are this shockingly tall!”

Sam stood up, now towering over Gabriel again (and still feeling pretty small) and handed back the leash.

“Nice dog,” he mumbled, avoiding Gabriel's eyes. He was so nervous, and he didn't even know why! After all, that's what he'd wanted, when he left Brady: to talk to Gabe.

“Thanks. If he only weren't so crazy with this snow.” Gabriel's voice was soft and when Sam risked a glance, he could see the other one looking down at the animal full of affection. “Anyway, what are you doing out here in the cold? On the way to Starbucks? Sorry to burst your bubble but it's my day off. No special drink today.” He laughed again.

Sam managed a weak smile. His mouth was twitching. “No I...was just on the way home.”

“You're at college?” Gabe nodded to the building behind Sam. Then he facepalmed. “'Course you are, always studying. Which direction are you headed?”

“That way.” Sam pointed down the street. “Bus stop to Palo Alto.”

“You live in Palo Alto? What a coincidence, that's my direction, too. Mind if I join you? Bagel seems to like you.”

Sam swallowed hard, then shook his head. “Yes. I mean no. I don't mind. I like dogs,” he then added, in an attempt to sound less confused.

“Me too. Though I used to be terrified of them. My brother Michael...” Gabriel didn't stop talking, not even for one second. He told Sam everything there was to know about him, it seemed. But he was telling stories completely out of order, which made it hard for Sam to follow. Gabriel had a few brothers it seemed, how many exactly Sam didn't catch. He was currently living in Palo Alto with his dog and two roommates. He worked at Starbucks full-time and thought about going to university, however, he wasn't sure what he wanted to study. His dog, who was a Welsh Corgi – Gabe also managed to tell Sam everything about that breed – was two years old. Gabe had adopted him from an animal shelter when he was only a few months old.

After telling Sam what seemed to be his entire life story (though Sam was sure Gabe could have talked on for several more hours), he asked Sam questions about his life.

“So, what are you studying then?”

“Law.”

“Law? Sounds boring. Do you like it?”

“Mhm... Yes, it's actually really interesting.”

“Is your dad a lawyer, too?”

“No.”

“Where does he work?”

“At a garage. His own garage. He's a mechanic.”

“What about your mom? Is she a lawyer?”

Sam tensed. He walked faster. The bus stop wasn't too far away now and the next bus would arrive in two minutes. “No, she... Nobody in my family's a lawyer. Nobody even went to college.”

“Then it's even more impressive that you do! Do you have brothers and sisters?”

“An older brother. His name's Dean and he works at the garage with my dad.” Sam was only giving this much information because he wanted to distract Gabriel from his mother.

They had reached the bus stop by now.

“How much older is he?”

“Four years.”

“Do you two get along well?”

“Mostly,” Sam said, suddenly very aware of the unanswered text from Dean in his pocket. “I mean, we're brothers...”

“Oh yeah, I know what you mean,” Gabe laughed. Right. He had a couple of brothers himself.

The bus arrived and they climbed in, sitting down next to each other. (Gabe let the Corgi sit on his lap.) Sam managed to get a glimpse of Gabe's eyes. His heart almost stopped. He had never seen the other's face this close before.

Gabriel had wonderful warm, brown eyes. They looked almost golden and Sam was certain that he could stare at those eyes for a very long time without ever getting bored. Gabriel hadn't shaved and now there was a soft, dark-blond stubble all over his chin and cheeks. His hair was still wet from the snow. He pushed it back.

The dog whimpered and tried to climb onto Sam's lap. Sam stretched out his hand without thinking and gently petted the dog on the head. At the same moment, Gabriel also wanted to pet his dog. When their hands touched, Sam could almost feel the electricity. He yanked his hand back.

“I, er...I have to get off. This is my stop. Bye, Gabe!” He left the bus so fast, Gabriel didn't even get a chance to say goodbye.

Sam almost ran home. When he finally closed the door behind him, he slid down onto the floor and started to bang his head against the wall. What had he been thinking? Why had he just run off? That hadn't even been his stop, he'd had to walk – run – for an additional two miles because of his stupidity. But that wasn't what bothered him. Things had been so well with Gabriel. They had met by chance on the street, Gabriel had had a lovely dog by his side and they had talked. Sam had learned so much about Gabriel and then their hands touched and he just ran?!

“You are a stupid, stupid boy, Sam Winchester. Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Every 'stupid' was accompanied by a bang of his head against the wall.

He went to bed early this night but it took him a while to fall asleep, be it because of his headache or the cold or the thoughts spinning in his head.

 

 


	5. On the fifth day of Sabriel...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made it in time! Glad you liked the last chapter, I hope you'll enjoy this one too. Tell me if you do :)

Sam didn't go to Starbucks the next day. Or the day after that. Or the day after _that_. He texted Dean back that he would be home for Christmas and that he would find a ride. He went out for lunch with Brady and studied at the library. Whenever he saw someone walking their dog he flinched, and he tried to avoid going on the bus as much as possible, which usually ended with him being either an hour early or an hour late.

After four days he couldn't stand it anymore. The snow was almost gone again but it was still freezing when he entered the coffee shop.

_'Maybe he has another day off,'_ Sam thought, almost hoping it.

He didn't. When the door closed behind him, he heard a familiar voice.

“Sammy! There you are! I missed you. What kept you away for so long?”

Sam hastily stepped closer to the counter to prevent the entire coffee shop from listening.

Gabe smiled warmly at him. “Are you okay?” he asked, quieter now.

“Yeah I was...just not feeling too well.” That wasn't even a lie.

“But now you're okay?”

Sam nodded.

“Thank god! You can't do this to me, I was worried!” Gabe started to mix Sam's special drink without even asking.

“How's your dog?” Sam asked in order to steer the conversation away from himself.

“He's doing great. A little sad that the snow's gone, he really enjoyed that. Hey, we should do that again. Go on a walk together. I think Bagel misses you.”

“Your dog has seen me once!” Sam was blushing again. _Still_ blushing because Gabriel talked to him.

Gabe shrugged. “So what, he misses you.” He slid the cup across the counter. “Are you staying?”

Sam nodded.

“Good. Maybe we can talk later. But study first. I don't want you to fail all your exams because of me.” Gabriel winked and then turned towards the next customer.

Sam sat down at his usual table and took out his books. Then he took a sip from the hot coffee. Still delicious. Today the cup said: _'Good to see you back, Samshine :))))'_

Sam stared at the writing for a solid minute. Samshine?! He wasn't sure what to think about that. It sounded cheesy but for some reason he still liked the new nickname. At least when he thought about Gabriel using it. Every other person would risk a punch in the face. (Only that Sam would never punch anyone. He was far too shy for that.)

–

After a while Gabe brought him a muffin and a new drink.

“On the house,” he said, smiling as usual. “You work too much. Need to eat something from time to time.”

Sam looked up. Gabe was standing next to the other chair.

“How long...”

“Almost two hours again. Man, your eyes must hurt. And your neck. If that's what college's like, I don't think I want to go...”

“It's not _that_ bad. But I need good grades if I want to keep my scholarship.”

“You have a _scholarship?_ To _Stanford?_ Wow, how clever are you?”

Sam blushed. It felt almost familiar.

“I just got lucky,” he mumbled.

Gabriel laughed. “Well, I guess that's one way to put it.”

Because he wanted to change the topic and because he felt awkward sitting there while Gabe was standing, Sam asked, trying to be brave: “Would you like to sit down?”

But to Sam's disappointment Gabriel shook his head. “I'm sorry, Samshine -” There it was. And it sounded really cute coming from Gabriel. “- but I gotta work. Another time, though.” He winked at Sam, took a piece of the muffin and popped it into his mouth before turning around and walking back to the counter. Normally Sam hated it when other people took his food without asking. But for some reason he didn't mind with Gabriel. Perhaps because technically, it wasn't _his_ food. After all, he hadn't paid for it.

–

Sam ate the muffin and drank his coffee. He had taken a break from studying and was watching Gabriel and the other customers. Mostly Gabriel, though. He was looking good in his navy blue polo shirt and the green apron. His dark-blond hair was a little messier than usual but apparently he had made an effort to comb it back. Sam absentmindedly pushed a hand through his own hair. It was getting really long because he hadn't had a hair cut since leaving home in September. Dean would mock him for all of Christmas break.

Gabe's face was clean-shaven, which made him look younger. Sam had no idea how old he actually was. Twenty maybe. Or older? It was hard to tell. Sam wished he could see Gabriel's eyes from here but the barista was too far away. He really was short. If he wanted to reach a high shelf, Sam was sure, he'd had to climb on a chair.

After about ten minutes of looking at Gabriel, the barista seemed to notice. He grinned widely at Sam and held one thumb up. Sam blushed and smiled back, then he quickly turned to his books, almost knocking over his drink.

–

When Sam had gone over all of his notes twice and couldn't find anything else to read, he decided to call it a day. To his surprise (and disappointment) Gabe was gone. He ordered a Gingerbread Latte from the red-head (she didn't ask for his name), paid and left the coffee shop. There he heard someone calling him.

“Sammy!” It was Gabriel. “My shift's over but you seemed so wrapped up into your work that I didn't want to disturb you. Mind if I walk with you?”

“Not at all.” Sam blushed. (What a surprise.)

“So, a scholarship, huh?” Gabe asked. Sam blushed harder.

“Yeah. My brother made me apply for it. He always says I'm the smart kid.”

“Well, he's probably right. I mean, Sam, _Stanford_. Lollipop?” he then added.

“What? Oh...” Gabriel was holding a bilious green lollipop out to Sam. Another one was already in his mouth. Sam took the sucker. “Thanks.”

“How old are you?”

“Eighteen. You?”

“Twenty-one. I told you I've been working since finishing school but I don't know about college. I'd definitely never get a scholarship... Suppose my dad would pay for it, though.”

“What about your mum?” Gabriel hadn't mentioned her while talking about his family.

“Left when I was a baby. Dad doesn't talk about her much, I don't even know what she looks like.”

“I'm sorry,” Sam said, meaning it.

“Nah, it's okay. It's not like I miss her or anything. I grew up with my dad and my brothers and that was fine. Luce sometimes talks about her. He and Mike still remember her. They were already in school when she left, but Raphael and I were too young.”

They walked in silence for a few minutes. When they reached the bus stop, Sam said quietly: “My mum died in a fire when I was six months old.”

“That sounds horrible!”

“It must've been... I don't remember her either but dad has lots of pictures. He used to show them to us when we were kids.”

The bus arrived and they entered, sitting down next to each other.

“What's your dad like? You haven't talked much about him. He's a mechanic, right?”

“Yes. He...well, he's okay, I guess.”

“'Okay'? That doesn't sound too great.”

“Yeah, well...” Sam hesitated. It wasn't that he _hated_ his father. He knew that he only wanted the best for him and Dean. Still, there was a reason that Dean made him apply for the scholarship. “We don't get along too well. He's better with Dean. I guess, I'm the rebellious one.”

“What, _you? You_ are the rebellious one? Sammy, you're the shiest kid I've ever met!”

Sam could feel his cheeks flush again. “Mhm. Anyway, dad and I fight a lot. He spends a lot of time away; working or going for a drink with his buddies from work. When Dean was old enough to work the microwave, dad only came home after dinner. It's not that bad anymore but it was for most of our childhood.”

“So Dean practically raised you?”

“Kind of. On days where he came home after me, I spent my afternoons at Bobby's. He's one of dad's friends and we used to stay with him a lot. Bobby's great!” Sam paused. “What about your dad?”

Gabriel sighed. “He's fantastic. A bit crazy, though.”

“Crazy?”

“Yeah, he's a writer. At home there are thousands of unfinished drafts lying around everywhere. And by that I mean _everywhere_. Kitchen, bathroom, living room... It got worse since we all moved out, now nobody's keeping the house clean. But other than that he's awesome. I mean, yes, he his busy most of the time and he used to get into arguments with Luce a lot but then Luce moved out when I was six and things got quieter.”

“Is Luce the rebellious one?” Sam asked with a grin.

“Oh yeah, definitely!”

“Did your dad ever finish a book?”

“A few actually. On a typewriter.” Gabriel pulled a face. “But they were selling, so that's good.”

“What's your dad's name?” That's when Sam realized that he didn't even know Gabriel's last name.

“Chuck Shurley. But he wrote under a pen name: Carver Edlund.”

_Gabriel Shurley._

Sam thought for a moment but he couldn't recall to have ever heard of Gabe's father before. “What kind of stories does he write?”

“Ah, don't ask me that! Some fantasy crap about werewolves and ghosts and the like. He has a fanclub, mostly consisting of teenage girls...”

“You ever met any of them?”

“Met or _met?_ ” Gabriel stressed the last word and wiggled his eyebrows.

“Uh, both?”

“No and no. Thank god! While I like girls, I don't _like_ girls, you know?” Again, stressing the second 'like'.

“I...oh. Yeah. Okay.” If Sam continued blushing, Gabe would think he had a skin problem.

“I'm not even sure if dad ever met any. Sometimes he gets letters or e-mails but he isn't that active online. No idea if he even knows how to turn on a computer. Again, _typewriter_.” Rolling his eyes this time.

Sam could have talked to Gabriel for hours but unfortunately his stop came up, the right one this time. He said goodbye to Gabe with the promise to “talk again soon”. Then he got off the bus and headed straight home, butterflies dancing in his stomach.

 

 


	6. On the sixth day of Sabriel...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm overwhelmed by the amount of people reading this fic! Thank you so much guys, I hope you're enjoying it! :))

Sam was earlier than usual and Starbucks was busy. As far as he could see, there were three people behind the counter, non of which were Gabriel. Sam waited in line for almost ten minutes. Then he ordered a Gingerbread Latte off a young man with a French accent and continued to wait for his drink to be made. When asked for his name he had replied with “Sam”. It was weird to talk to a Starbucks employee who didn't know him.

“Sam!” the redhead Sam already knew called. It seemed like every table was occupied by then and Sam was already thinking about where to go instead (sad that he wouldn't see Gabe that day), when the redhead pointed towards his usual table before calling out the next name.

Sam walked over. The table was empty save for a small handwritten sign that said: _'reserved'_. Sam picked the sign up.

“Gabriel did that!” the redhead shouted. “It's for you, obviously.”

“Thanks,” Sam mumbled, eyes fixated on the little sign and took a seat. Gabriel had reserved him a table? So Sam wouldn't have to go study somewhere else? He started to grin.

“What's there to smile about, Samshine?” Gabe, still in his normal clothes, was standing in front of him, smiling down.

“Hey Gabe,” Sam replied, smiling as well. “Nothing really, just...” He gestured towards the 'reserved'-sign.

“Yeah, I thought it might get busy this close to finals and I didn't want you to have to go somewhere else.”

“You know I could still have bought coffee here and then gone to the library to study?”

“It's not just about the coffee, Sammy!” Gabe said, wiggling his eyebrows. “Not just the coffee. About that: I'll get changed real quick and get you your drink, alright?”

“Alright.”

Five minutes later the redhead yelled “Sammy!” and Sam went up to get the hot cup. Gabe smiled at him quickly, then continued to work. Back at his table, Sam read the text on the cup. He almost choked on his own spit. There was a number on there. A phone number. Written beneath it it said in Gabriel's handwriting (written down a little hurriedly):

_'Special drink for special customer Sammy. We should talk more often. Text me when you have time and we can meet outside of my shifts. -Gabe :))'_

Sam's cheeks flushed red. Gabe had just given him his _number_. Was he reading things into this or did it mean something? Sam got out his phone and quickly saved the number. Then he drank his coffee and tried to concentrate on his books, which was harder than usual. (He told himself it was because of the noise, not because of the number on the cup.)

–

Sam texted Gabe the next day. He actually wanted to message him earlier but thought that might come across as weird. Gabe texted back within an hour and after messaging back and forth for a while, they decided to meet up after Gabe's shift the next evening.

Sam met the barista outside of Starbucks and they went for a walk with Bagel. It seemed like the little dog was really happy to see Sam again and they played for hours in the park while Sam and Gabe talked. Their conversation wasn't too deep this time; they only talked about books and movies and music and work and school. When the sun started to set it got really cold and so the two boys went home, a happy dog running between their feet.

That night, Gabe texted Sam first and even though they'd spent the last three hours together, they kept texting until midnight, watching the same movie in different houses and talking about it via text. Sam had ordered himself a pizza and when he asked Gabe what he had for dinner, the other replied with a picture of some delicious-looking lasagna (cooked by one of his roommates and heated up in the microwave, but still delicious) and a chocolate doughnut.

Sam texted Gabe a goodnight message and the reply consisted of another picture (it was quite dark but with some imagination Sam could see a sleeping Bagel) with the caption: _'Good n8 2 u 2, Samshine. Talk 2morrow, x Gabe'_ Sam's heartbeat sped up when he saw the 'x', which led to him not being able to fall asleep for two hours.

–

They kept texting and meeting. Over the next few weeks they actually developed some kind of routine. After class, Sam would go to Starbucks where a drink with a more or less flirtatious message and a reserved table awaited him. (Sometimes, when he looked particularly hungry or exhausted, Gabe would throw in a muffin or a sandwich as well.) He studied for two or three hours until the end of Gabriel's shift and then they would both go on a walk with Bagel. The dog loved their routine because it meant he got to see Sam every day and he liked Sam a lot. They would often go to a fast food restaurant or a pizza place and eat dinner together before Sam went to soccer practice. On the weekends Sam spent most of his time studying at the library but he still tried to see Gabe at least once a day, either stopping by at Starbucks for coffee and a quick chat or for the afternoon dog walk.

Despite seeing each other almost every day, Sam and Gabe texted a lot. Every morning Gabe would send a picture of Bagel looking cute (sometimes it was a video of him devouring his breakfast instead) and every night Sam would text Gabe good night, sometimes getting another dog pic (sleepy this time) in return.

They became good friends, talking about all sorts of things. Gabe helped Sam study for his finals by going over the questions again and again until one day Gabe said jokingly, that he could probably take the exam for Sam and still get an A.

They learned things about each other. Things about their families, childhoods and dreams for the future. Sam discovered that Gabe had a real sweet tooth. Whenever Gabe was not working or eating something else, there was some kind of candy in his mouth. He also learned a lot about Bagel and sometimes Sam took the dog out for a walk when Gabe was at work. Bagel loved Sam (more than his owner, Gabe remarked jokingly) and he was just as much a sweet tooth as Gabe, doing all kind of tricks for treats.

Sam had never felt happier, even with finals coming up. He still saw his few friends from college but not as often as he used to. Brady didn't seem to mind. He had a new girlfriend, a cheerleader named Lillith. Sam didn't like her very much.

The prospect of Christmas didn't seem too bad anymore. He had talked to Gabe about it and Gabe convinced him that going home to see his dad and brother for a while wasn't so bad after all. Sam was already thinking about Christmas presents. He was thinking about getting Gabriel a present too. This was actually one of the things he didn't look forward to: Not seeing Gabe (and Bagel) for a couple of weeks. Within the last month they had become such close friends that not seeing each other for a while seemed impossible.

But Sam was convinced that they would meet that challenge, too. He still had a crush on Gabe, though, keeping it under control as well as possible. He didn't want to ruin their friendship. That's why he was terrified that night when everything changed.

 


	7. On the seventh day of Sabriel...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger. This chapter has a small one, too^^

“You're a pre-law? That's awesome!” She handed him another shot glass. Sam took it reluctantly and drank. It was by no means the first time that he was drinking alcohol. His dad had let the boys drink from a very young age and they obviously never complained. However, John Winchester had always made sure that his sons stayed relatively sober and it wasn't until the end of high school that Dean had drunk too much.

Sam had never been drunk before. He wasn't sure if he was drunk now. All he knew was that the room was getting blurry and that the loud music was hurting his head. He didn't know where Brady was. A while ago he had introduced Sam to the pretty girl who was now sitting next to him, and then left, another girl clinging to his arm.

They were at a club called “Hell's Gates” somewhere near Stanford. Originally, Sam didn't want to come but Brady had dragged him along. “It's the last party of the year, Sam, this is a must! If you don't want to come to all the other parties, that's fine – weird but fine – but this? You can't miss this! It'll be fun, I promise!”

Brady had been right, it was fun. At least the first hour had been. That was the point at which Brady had left him. Sam had no idea how long ago that had been. He'd been chatting away with the girl Brady had introduced him to, slowly getting tipsy from all the drinks she had ordered him and eventually passing the point of tipsiness it seemed. He felt dizzy.

“What do you think? Do you wanna get out of here?” The girl, Ruby was her name if Sam remembered correctly, twisted a strand of her long dark hair around her fingers.

Sam felt sick. He couldn't remember how many drinks he had had; he'd stopped counting after the fourth. A new song came on and the bass made Sam's heart race. A girl squeaked right next to his ear. His head was pounding, his skull ready to explode. Getting out sounded like a wonderful idea.

“Yes.” His voice sounded weird.

Her face lightened up and a mischievous grin appeared on her lips.

“My place or yours?”

“What?” Sam didn't understand. His place, of course, he wanted to go home and sleep. God, he wanted nothing more than to sleep.

“My place or yours?” she repeated, louder this time. Sam frowned.

“I don't understand. I just want to sleep. God, my head hurts...”

Ruby looked at him like he had a screw loose.

“Are you too drunk or not drunk enough?!”

“Too drunk,” Sam mumbled. His head felt heavy and it hurt. He needed some fresh air. And silence.

Ruby rolled her eyes. “God, you're so _boring_. I'll go find myself someone I can have fun with.” With that she left. Sam was glad.

He got up and staggered outside, bumping into people and almost running into the door.

The fresh air felt so good. Sam held onto a lamp post and just breathed for a couple of minutes. When the pain in his head had reduced from _'skull exploding'_ to _'extremely painful'_ and his stomach didn't feel like it was going to empty itself any minute, Sam slowly got out his phone. He stared at it blankly. Who was he going to call? Dean was too far away and Brady was probably busy with some girl. He didn't want to call a taxi, he didn't even have money on him.

_'I could walk,'_ Sam thought. But the street was blurry and the ground beneath his feet was moving. Sam sat down on the sidewalk. There weren't a lot of cars, nobody who could take him home. That was when he had an idea. He opened his contacts (it took him a while because his phone kept getting blurry and his hands were shaking slightly) and tapped on 'call'.

“Yeah?” Gabriel's voice had become something so familiar that Sam immediately felt more relaxed.

“Gabe, I think 'm dying,” Sam mumbled into the phone.

“Don't sugarcoat it, Sammy! What happened?”

“Don't know.” He was trying really hard to speak clearly.

“Are you okay?”

“Don' know.”

“Are you hurt?”

“Dunno...”

“Did you drink something?”

“Yes.”

“Are you drunk?”

“Think so.”

“Do you want me to come and get you?”

“Yeah,” Sam slurred.

“Where are you?” He could hear noises in the background. Gabriel was probably getting dressed.

“Um...” Sam looked at the street sign next to him, the then turned around to the club. “'Hell's Gates'.”

Gabe chuckled slightly. “Be there in ten. Five if I hurry. Stay close to the club, Sammy. If creepy people approach you, go back inside.”

“Okay.”

Gabriel hung up the phone.

–

Eight very cold minutes later a red car stopped in front of Sam. He was too tired to recognize the brand. The driver's door opened and Gabriel climbed out. He looked worried but smiled weakly when he saw Sam.

“There you are! Everything alright? Do you feel sick? Because I don't want you to puke in my car...”

“Are you creepy people?” Sam asked, trying his best to smile. (It turned out pretty wonky.)

Gabriel frowned, then rolled his eyes. “No, Sammy, I'm not.”

“I'm not sick. I think. Is that Bagel?” He pointed to an excited blonde bundle on the backseat.

“Yeah, I brought him along. Thought you might like to see him.”

Sam nodded enthusiastically but stopped when his head began to hurt again.

Gabe opened the passenger door. “Get in, I'll take you home.”

“Thanks Gabe,” Sam slurred, getting up (god, was he dizzy) and climbing into the car.

Bagel almost jumped over the backrest, so Gabe opened the door and let him out. The small dog immediately ran around the car to the passenger door and jumped onto Sam's lap.

“Hello Bagel.” Sam giggled. “Your dog's called Bagel. Like food.”

Gabe grinned. “Damn right he is. Seatbelt.” He had to help Sam put it on. Then the older boy got back into the driver's seat. He started the engine and slowly turned the car around.

“What happened? Where are your friends? How did you even get alcohol?”

Sam petted Bagel affectionately. “Brady found a girlfriend an' took her home.” He leaned closer to Gabriel and lowered his voice as if revealing a big secret. “I think they're gonna have sex.”

Gabe chuckled. “And he just left you alone?”

“No.” Bagel had started to lick Sam's hand. Sam looked down at the little dog with fascination.

“He left you with other friends?”

“No. There was a girl. Ruuuby.” Sam giggled again. “She bought me drinks. I think she liked me. Asked all sorts of questions. But then she said I was boring. She was boring,” he added defensively.

“I'm sure she was,” Gabe smiled.

“She wanted me to come home with her but I didn't want. I have a headache.”

“Did you drink anything non-alcoholic?”

“Dunno.”

“Do you want some water?”

Sam nodded. Bagel had curled up in his lap but his eyes were still open and focused on Sam's face.

Gabriel stopped the car at a gas station and bought Sam a bottle of water, that he emptied quickly. Then they continued their way home. Sam was giving Gabriel directions to his apartment but they still ended up getting lost twice.

When the car finally stopped in front of the right house, Sam was tired.

“Thanks for bringing me home. Gabe, I-” Sam hiccuped. “-I really...really like you. Really like you,” he trailed off. He had turned to face the other boy.

Gabe's face was tired but still smiling. His eyes shined brightly. Sam loved this face; he really did. That's why he slowly leaned forward until his face was closer to Gabe's. He just wanted to get a better look (everything was so blurry) but when Gabe's face came closer, the need to let him now just _how much_ Sam liked him grew stronger.

Then their lips touched. Bagel almost slipped off Sam's lap. Gabriel's lips were soft. He tasted like peppermint toothpaste. Sam probably tasted like tequila.

The kiss didn't last very long, even though Sam really enjoyed it. Gabriel gently pushed Sam away from him and back into his seat.

He laughed, even though Sam thought he saw something like regret in Gabriel's eyes. “Sammy, as much as I appreciate your thanks, we shouldn't do this. You're drunk and I'm not, so -”

“You don't like me.” Sam could almost feel his heart shatter. How stupid of him to expect Gabriel to like him back. How could he have ever thought that?

“No! That's not the point. I do like you, Sam, more than you'd probably believe, but this isn't right! I feel like I'm exploiting you! Let's talk about this tomorrow, when you're sober, okay?” Gabe sounded almost disappointed.

“You do like me?” Sam asked, a small beacon of hope glimmering in his chest.

Gabriel sighed. He sounded tired and still a little disappointed. “Yes. Yes, I do like you, Sammy.”

“Okay.” His heart was in one piece again.

“Okay,” Gabe repeated. “Let's get you to bed now, you need to rest.”

Sam nodded. He said goodbye to Bagel and after trying and failing to open his door three times, he handed Gabriel the keys. The barista let them both into the small apartment and escorted Sam to his bedroom.

“You gonna be okay alone? Do you need anything?”

“Nah, 'm good. Just sleepy.” Sam had fallen face-forward onto his bed.

“Alright. Call me when you wake up, yeah?”

“Mhm.”

Sam heard the door close, then he fell asleep.

 


	8. On the eighth day of Sabriel...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand here it is! The “big” chapter. It's the longest one as well. I hope you enjoy it! Tell me if you do :)

Sam awoke with a terrible headache. His head felt like it was going to burst any minute. He groaned and slowly sat up. He didn't remember much of the night before. Stupid alcohol. At least he was in his own apartment and he seemed to be alone, which was good.

Sam climbed out of his bed and tumbled towards the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water and swallowed an aspirin pill.

There was a note on the table. A note in Gabriel's handwriting. Sam froze. Had he spent the night with Gabriel? A cold shiver ran down his back. What the hell had happened? Why didn't he remember a thing? Where was Gabe? He stared at the note, still frozen in place, unsure whether to read it or not. If he _had_ actually spent the night with Gabe then... But Sam couldn't bring himself to think any further. He took a deep breath and picked up the piece of paper. He couldn't change what had happened anyway.

_'Good morning, Samshine! I hope you're feeling better today. Got a headache I imagine... I don't know how much you remember of last night, so please call me. -Gabe'_

That didn't reassure Sam at all. He got his phone and called Gabriel's number, trembling ever so slightly.

“Hello?”

“Hi Gabe, it's Sam.”

“Sammy! How are you?”

“Okay. My head hurts. Listen, I found your note...”

“Oh right. What do you remember?”Something in Gabriel's voice made Sam feel uneasy.

“Not much. I don't remember you. Were you at the club?”

“No.” Gabe hesitated for a second. Sam expected the worst. “You were drunk and called me to get you and then kinda kissed me in the car...”

Sam's face turned bright red. His heartbeat sped up and he had to sit down. He'd done _what?!_ “I-I...”

“Don't worry, everything's fine. Bagel was a little shocked but that's okay.” Judging by the tone of Gabe's voice Sam could tell he was grinning. He wasn't sure if that made things better, though. He just wanted to hang up and never ever leave his apartment again. He had kissed Gabe. _Kissed_ him while he was drunk. And probably said something. He had ruined everything.

“Sammy, are you still there?”

“Mhm.”

“Listen, we should talk about this.”

“Yeah, we probably should,” Sam mumbled, not wanting to talk about it at all.

“I know a place that does fantastic hungover breakfasts. It's not far from your apartment. I'll text you the address and we can meet there, okay?”

“Okay.”

–

Twenty minutes later Sam had showered, brushed his teeth and put on some clean clothes. He didn't shave and only pushed his hair back with his hands. Then he took his jacket and the keys and left his apartment.

The weather was similar to that day when Sam first met Gabriel: cold, windy and icy. The sun was shining but couldn't do much to warm the air. Sam was alternately sweating and shivering. He felt like he had ruined everything. His entire friendship with Gabriel, ruined by one drunk kiss. How was that fair? Sam swore to himself to never get drunk again. Not ever.

Maybe, he thought, maybe he could just deny that he wanted more than just friendship. Maybe Gabe would believe him. He'd been drunk after all. Then again, drunk people usually spoke the truth.

Sam was angry with himself. He also had a slight headache. He wanted nothing more than to turn back time, to not call Gabriel, even better: not to go to that party at all. Sam found himself secretly blaming Brady for what happened. If he hadn't dragged Sam along, if he hadn't left him, this never would have happened.

He reached the address that Gabriel had texted him too soon for his liking. Sam took a deep breath, then opened the door. Gabriel was already there, sitting at a table in the back, waiting for Sam. Sam's mind went blank when he saw him.

Gabriel smiled. “Hey, Sammy! You okay?”

Sam nodded, even when that wasn't true. At all. He wasn't okay. At all. Not even in the slightest. He had _ruined_ everything.

He sat down.

“You want coffee? It's not as good as at Starbucks but it's still alright.”

Sam nodded again. Gabriel ordered two coffees and breakfast – Sam didn't pay attention what he ordered exactly – off the waitress. Then they just sat there, in uncomfortable silence. Sam wished Gabe would have brought Bagel.

After their coffees had arrived, Gabe cleared his throat. “Look, Sammy -”

“I'm sorry!” Sam blurted out. He blushed and looked down at the table. “I am so, so sorry. I can't even remember it. I...I don't know what I said, I... Gabe please, whatever I said – I don't want anything to change. I...I wasn't in my right mind, it's... Please, Gabe, can't we just forget what happened and carry on? Please tell me I haven't ruined everything because...I _really_ don't want anything to change. You're my only real friend here and I enjoy coming to Starbucks every day and I love your dog so much and...” Sam had started to cry by now, something that didn't help his headache.

The waitress came back and placed a plate full of eggs and toast and fruit in front of Sam. He still didn't look up.

Gabriel cleared his throat again. “Sammy, look at me.” But Sam didn't. He _couldn't_. He didn't want to see the hurt on Gabriel's face and he didn't want Gabriel to see his own despair.

“Sammy please,” Gabriel said very calmly. When Sam still didn't react and instead continued to stare at his eggs, Gabe sighed. “Sammy, it's okay if you don't want things to change. They don't have to.”

Sam thought he'd heard that wrong. Did Gabriel really just forgive him? Did he say they could forget what happened?

“However-”

_'Oh no,'_ Sam thought, _'there's a twist after all.'_

“-it doesn't have to stay the way it was. Sam, I...look at me.” Gabriel had stopped talking and when Sam realized that the stubborn man in front of him was not going to continue until he looked up, he slowly raised his head.

Gabriel's eyes were warm and full of love. He smiled openly at Sam. “It doesn't have to change,” Gabriel said in a soft, quiet voice. “But it can. Because you don't remember but I do. Last night, you kissed me and told me that you liked me and I told you that I liked you very much as well.”

It took Sam a few seconds to realize what Gabe had just said. He blinked. Blinked again. “You – what?!”

Gabriel's smile got wider. “Sam, I like you a lot. And if you hadn't been drunk last night I would have certainly kissed you back and we wouldn't have this conversation now. However, because I'm a responsible -”

“Kiss me now.” Sam's heart was racing at this point. He would never have thought he's say these words to anybody, especially not Gabriel. It wasn't like him to tell other people what to do, much less to kiss him!

Gabriel stared at Sam for a second, then he got to his feet, leaned over the table (almost knocking over Sam's coffee) and pressed his lips to Sam's. It was the most unromantic setting for a first kiss that Sam could imagine, yet he was happier than ever, kissing Gabe back hard.

Somebody laughed. Another person clapped. The waitress cleared her throat. Gabe broke the kiss, grinned, his face still close to Sam's, then sat back down.

“More coffee?” the waitress asked with a disapproving frown on her face.

“No, we're good, thanks,” Sam said, smiling widely at her. She nodded, gave them another stare, then turned around and went to the next table.

Gabe picked up his fork and started to shovel eggs into his mouth. Sam was too happy to eat until Gabe pointed his fork at Sam's plate.

“Eat,” he said with a mouth full of eggs. “You need it.”

Sam took his fork and put some of the egg into his mouth. It was delicious.

“Does that mean we're...?”

“I don't know. If you want to?”

“Yes!” Sam said enthusiastically. He couldn't describe _how much_ he wanted to. He'd got to know Gabe well enough over the past couple of weeks that he could think of nothing he wanted more right now.

Gabriel grinned. “Good. By the way, did you really not realize that I was pining for you this entire time? Am I that bad at flirting?”

Sam blushed. “I just didn't think anyone would want me, especially you.”

Gabe rolled his eyes. “Oh Samshine, you gotta boost your self-esteem a bit.”

–

They kept chatting over breakfast. Gabriel insisted on paying and the waitress seemed relieved as they left. They went to Gabriel's apartment to pick Bagel up (Sam stayed in the hallway, feeling slightly awkward and overwhelmed by Gabriel's shared home) and took the dog for a long walk.

They talked. A lot. It didn't feel that different to their previous walks with the dog, aside from Sam feeling incredibly happy despite his hangover and him occasionally holding Gabe's hand (both were wearing gloves, though).

In the late afternoon they went back to Gabriel's flat. Sam felt out of place, especially with Gabe's roommates somewhere in the house, but then Gabriel made him sit on the couch in the living room and Bagel jumped straight onto Sam's lap. Sam started to scratch the dog between its ears.

“I'll order pizza, I'm starving! Balthazar is going out anyway and Alfie won't leave his room unless it's absolutely necessary,” Gabriel promised.

Balthazar turned out to be the guy with the French accent from Starbucks. He said “hi” to Sam, then left without another word.

It was a nice four-room apartment with big windows and wooden furniture. The living room was small and cozy with a real fireplace, that looked slightly odd next to the expensive flat-screen TV. Beside the couch, the fireplace and the little shelf on which the TV was placed, there was a blotchy green armchair which might as well be found in an old lady's home, and a low table with a bowl of individually packed chocolates. On the wall above the fireplace hung three advent calendars, all with half the doors opened.

The most prominent feature of the room was the large Christmas tree next to the window, though. It was so big, it almost blocked all the light out. Sam had to admit that he was slightly jealous. Since he wouldn't be at his apartment at Christmas, he hadn't put up a tree and the tree he'd get to see at home wouldn't even be half as glorious as this one. You could barely see any tree under the tons of baubles, straw stars, wooden ornaments and fairy lights.

Bagel made a sound of dissatisfaction and Sam quickly resumed petting the dog, something he'd unintentionally stopped while looking around the room.

Gabriel came back with pizza and squeezed in next to Sam on the couch.

“No, dog, your food's in the kitchen like always!” he laughed when Bagel eyed the pizza boxes hungrily. “You wanna watch a movie?” he then added, looking at Sam.

“Sure,” Sam smiled. He was getting tired, his hangover kicking in again, but he didn't want to leave just yet.

–

Sam made it through half of the movie before he fell asleep. When he woke up a while later he found himself leaning against the backrest, his head on Gabriel's shoulder and Bagel sleeping across both of their laps. The TV was turned off and the only light in the room was coming from the Christmas tree.

“Gabe?” Sam mumbled sleepily.

“Hm?” Gabriel was only half-awake himself.

“I should go.”

“Don't be stupid, it's the middle of the night!” Gabe muttered back. Then he turned his head and smiled down at Sam. “I'm really glad you got drunk and called me last night.”

“Me too.” Sam closed his eyes again.

“Good night, Samshine.” He kissed the top of Sam's head.

“G'night,” Sam echoed, then he fell asleep again.

 


	9. On the ninth day of Sabriel...

Sam awoke with a stiff neck. It took him a few seconds to remember where he was and how he got there. He was half-sitting, half-lying on the couch in Gabriel's living room. Gabriel himself was curled into a ball next to him, his head resting on Sam's chest, eyes still closed. A blanket was wrapped around him and another one was lying across Sam's legs and feet. Bagel was nowhere to be seen.

Sam yawned. He had no idea what time it was since there was no clock in the living room and he had forgotten his watch at home. He couldn't reach his phone either, without waking Gabriel up. He looked incredibly cute lying there, his head slowly rising and falling in unison with Sam's breathing.

Sam looked around the room. The TV and the lights on the Christmas tree were both turned off. Through the window he could see a small balcony and the gray facade of another house. Judging by the light, it was early morning.

Careful not to wake Gabe, Sam raised his arms over his head and stretched. Then he pulled the blanket a little higher. He was cold.

Sam must have dozed off because the next thing he knew was a quiet thumping sound next to him and something wet on his left hand. He opened his eyes. Cool rays of sunshine were coming in through the windows, making the dust dancing in the air clearly visible.

Bagel had jumped onto the sofa next to Sam and placed his cold nose right into the palm of his hand.

“Morning Bagel,” Sam whispered, smiling. The dog wagged his tail excitedly. “Any idea what time it is?”

“Nine a.m,” a high-pitched voice replied.

Sam was taken aback for a second, until he felt Gabriel moving next to him.

“The dog can't read the clock, don't ask him stuff like that!” Gabe grinned. Then he added in Bagel's voice: “Shut up, stupid human, of course I can read the clock, I'm not a baby anymore!”

Sam laughed. “Morning Gabe.”

“Morning Sammy,” Gabriel beamed. “Do you want breakfast?”

“I'm starving!” He meant it. The last time he'd had food felt like ages ago.

“Great!” Gabriel clapped his hands once, then jumped up, almost tripping over his blanket. “Huh? Who put that there?”

Sam shrugged.

“Oh well, it was probably Balthazar when he came back.”

“Nice of him.”

“Yeah, he can be nice. Sometimes.” Gabriel winked. “If you need the bathroom, it's the room next to the kitchen. I'll make breakfast!” With that he left the room, Bagel on his heels.

Sam leaned back for a moment and yawned again. He envied Gabe, who apparently had no trouble getting up in the morning, unlike Sam himself.

–

Breakfast was really nice. Gabe had been right about the time, though; it was about a quarter past nine when Sam left the bathroom and joined Gabriel and Bagel in the kitchen. (The dog ate as if he hadn't had any food for a week.) That's why Gabe drove Sam home right after breakfast, where he took a long shower and then sat down at his desk to study. His finals would start the next day and Sam was getting panicky because in his eyes he hadn't revised nearly enough.

At five in the afternoon his doorbell rang. It was Gabe.

“Hi!” The blonde smiled up at Sam and after a few awkward seconds of them just standing there, Sam leaned down and gave Gabe a quick kiss on the lips. He blushed immediately. Gabe just grinned. “We thought we'd take you out for a walk. I bet you've been studying all day. Have you even had lunch?”

Sam shook his head. “No, didn't have time. I'm really behind.”

“But food's important! I never skip a meal!” 'Bagel' declared.

Sam laughed. “Okay, I'll eat something. Promise.”

“So...” Gabriel looked up at Sam, looking all pouty and cute. “You're coming with us or not?”

“I...” Sam hesitated. He really _wanted_ to come. But he had so much to do...!

“Just for a short walk?” Gabriel almost pleaded. “Half an hour. Come on, Sammy, you need to get some fresh air!”

“Fine.” Sam sighed. “I'm coming, let me just get my jacket.”

–

'Half an hour' turned into one and a half but Sam didn't mind. Gabe had been right, he really needed a break. If he was honest with himself, he hadn't been able to concentrate on his books for a while before Gabe and Bagel had showed up, giving him an excuse to get out.

They walked to the park where Bagel tried to catch squirrels (he didn't get any, though, because – Gabriel remarked lovingly – his little Corgi was way too lazy to actually make an effort).

Sam had a great time. It was Sunday afternoon and lots of people were out, families with kids, couples without kids, teenagers and old people – some with dogs, some without – but nobody gave them a weird look for holding hands in public or for sitting close together on a bench, Sam's arm wrapped around Gabe's shoulders.

They got sandwiches for dinner and then Gabriel walked Sam home where he made him promise to come to Starbucks the next day after college.

“Only if you bring the dog, though!” Sam smiled.

Gabe saluted. “Aye aye, sir!”

Bagel barked. Both boys laughed.

“Thanks for forcing me to take a break. I think my head would've exploded if you hadn't!”

“Sure thing, Samshine!” Gabriel pushed his hair back and smirked. Then he got onto his tiptoes and pressed his lips softly to Sam's. Sam was kind of surprised (he still wasn't used to this) but kissed Gabe back quickly. He felt his boyfriend's – Sam felt a warm shiver thinking of Gabriel as his boyfriend – hand on his neck, pulling his head down gently. Sam wrapped his arms around Gabriel and pulled the shorter boy in even closer. Their mouths were moving hungrily against each other, lips slightly parted.

Sam was the first one to pull back to get some air. Gabriel's face was still close to his, their foreheads pressed together, Sam slightly hunched over and Gabriel still on his toes. Sam couldn't get over how beautiful Gabriel's eyes were. Even now in the dark corridor of his apartment, they seemed more golden than brown. He could feel Gabriel's breath on his face; the barista's hands were still on his neck, now gently stroking his hair.

“I should go,” Gabe whispered, making no move to leave.

“Yeah,” Sam breathed back. He didn't move either.

They would probably have stood there just looking at each other for hours, had it not been for Bagel, who was getting bored of the two humans doing nothing but standing there. He barked, then nudged first Gabriel's, then Sam's leg with his nose, expectantly looking up at both of them.

Gabriel laughed. “Okay, Bagel, we'll go. See you tomorrow, Sammy!” He gave him another quick kiss on the lips, then let go of Sam and took Bagel's leash instead.

“Good night you two!” Sam waved. Gabriel winked at him, then he turned around and left, unwrapping a candy bar on the way back to the street.

–

Later that night, just when Sam had decided to call it a day and go to bed, a text from Gabriel arrived. It was a picture of him and Bagel lying on the couch in front of the Christmas tree. Bagel's eyes were closed and he appeared to be sleeping. Gabriel smiled widely into the camera. The caption said: _'Stop studying and go to sleep! Goodnight Sammy! :* -G &B'_

Sam changed into his pajamas, brushed his teeth and lay down on his bed. Then he took a selfie, grinning happily and sent it to Gabe. _'Already in bed. Night <3'_

Gabriel replied instantly with a voicemail. First Sam heard only snoring, then Gabe's voice whispered: “That's my lazy dog. He's setting a good example by already being asleep.” He made a kissing sound.

Sam sent Gabe a smiley face (actually smiling) in return before turning his phone off. He fell asleep immediately, feeling all warm inside.

 


	10. On the tenth day of Sabriel…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone :)
> 
> I’m terribly sorry to tell you that I won’t be able to stick to the original posting schedule. I had an extremley busy weekend and barely managed to write anything, let alone everything that I wanted to.
> 
> I can’t promise you anything but I’ll try my best to get the last three chapters out before Christmas Eve. The only thing that I can say for sure is that I’ll finish this story and that I’ll finish it this year.
> 
> I love you and I hope you’ll bear with me.
> 
> -Franzi ♥
> 
> \-------
> 
> You have to thank my wonderful beta who worked in record time to get this chapter out to you as quickly as possible.

It was four days before the end of term when Sam realized that he didn't have a way of getting back home. He had completely forgotten that he needed to find someone with a car going in the same direction and ask them to take him with them (sharing the gas money, obviously). But now it was too late. The few people he knew in college were all heading elsewhere and in the middle of finals week he had no means of running around the halls asking random people if they were driving to Kansas. (Not that he was the type of person that just talked to strangers or shared a car with them, but he liked to tell himself that he would have tried to find a ride.)

Slightly worried about how his dad and brother would react when he'd tell them that he wouldn't be able to make it (Dean: 'I'll come and get you!', Dad: 'I just wish you'd make an effort to spend Christmas with your family, Sam! I can't believe you were too lazy to find a ride! Because you're not dumb or how did you get that scholarship? Unbelievable! If your mother...'), Sam sat at his usual table in his usual Starbucks and tried to find affordable bus tickets online.

“What's troubling you, Sammy?” A steaming cup of coffee was placed in front of Sam and Gabriel sat down opposite him.

When Sam looked up, his boyfriend was smiling widely. His cheeks and nose were pink from the cold air outside and his hair was even messier than usual. Sam assumed that Gabe had just taken off his beanie.

He sighed. “I forgot to look for a way of getting home for Christmas and now it's too late.” He smacked his phone on the table in frustration. It made a crunching noise as the screen cracked. Sam stared down at it with a bitter face. “Great...” he mumbled.

“I'll drive you.”

“What?” Sam looked away from the broken phone and back at Gabriel.

The barista smiled. “You heard right. I'll drive you home. I love roadtrips and it means I'll get to see you for a little longer.”

“Don't be stupid, Gabe, it's almost two thousand miles!” Sam argued. “We're gonna need _days!_ ”

But his boyfriend continued smiling. (Sam started to get the feeling that Gabriel never _stopped_ smiling.) “No, really Sam, it's fine. I have a cousin who lives in Topeka and I never get to see him anymore but driving you home means I can check in with him, so that's great!”

Sam wasn't convinced. “Gabe, I hate to break it to you, but Christmas is in eight days and we need at least two to get to Lawrence and then you need another two to get back, and visiting your cousin means you'll never make it home for Christmas -”

Gabriel stopped Sam with a wave of his hand. “I'll make it, Samshine. My brothers won't be home before the 26thanyway and dad always forgets what date it is when he's writing. Trust me, I don't necessarily need to be home on the 25th. And I wanted to visit Castiel anyway.”

“Who?”

“My cousin.”

“Right.”

They were silent for a few seconds, then Sam sighed again. “ _Fine._ If you insist...”

“I do.” Gabriel's grin got wider. Then he clapped his hands and stood up. “I gotta work now. And you better study to pass those finals. I'll call you tonight to plan stuff. Okay?”

Sam couldn't help but smile. “Okay. Thanks, Gabe.”

Gabriel winked at him, then he hurried back to the counter where the ginger girl – Anna, as Gabriel had told Sam – shot him an angry glance before handing him four cups to fill at once.

At that moment Sam's phone buzzed. He was glad that it still worked despite the cracked screen. It was a text from Dean.

_'Hi you found a ride? I could come and get you but you need to tell me now. How are you anyway? Dad says hi.'_

Sam found himself still smiling. The prospect of being locked in a car with Gabe for two days made him really looking forward to Christmas all of a sudden.

He texted Dean back: _'I'm great. The finals are going great as well. How are you two? And how's Bobby? I'll be home on the 23_ _rd_ _, found someone to take me. Sam :)'_

–

They ended up facetiming. Bagel was there, too, excited to see Sam's face on the tiny screen and trying to lick it the entire time, so eventually Gabriel locked himself in his room and Bagel had to wait in the kitchen.

“Google maps says we need twenty-six hours if we stick to the speed limit.” Gabriel was eating Christmas cookies and candy canes.

“Of course we'll stick to the speed limit!” Sam said, remembering his brother's ruthless driving style (Dean was _always_ speeding) and not wanting to be in an accident before Christmas. He was eating chicken salad, frowning slightly at Gabriel's choice of dinner food.

“Calm down, Sammy, I'm just joking!” Gabe put an entire Santa-shaped cookie into his mouth and champed: “What I mean is, if we take turns driving – you have a license, right?”

Sam nodded.

“Good. If we take turns driving -” Gabe swallowed the cookie and immediately grabbed another one “- we should be able to make at least ten hours a day. Maybe more. So that means,” he bit off the cookie-reindeer's head, “we need, um...”

“Three days, two nights,” Sam calculated.

“Exactly.” He pushed the rest of the reindeer into his mouth. Then he swallowed and grinned. “Oh, this is gonna be fun! I love roadtrips! Do you like roadtrips? I'm gonna make a playlist!” He jumped from his bed, phone still in hand (Sam had to look away for a second or else he would have got dizzy) and walked over to his laptop. “Christmas songs okay with you?”

“Sure.” Sam smiled at the sight of his overly excited boyfriend. “Oh and we need snacks!”

Gabriel babbled away for almost twenty minutes, while Sam just watched him, his heart feeling lighter with every word. He hadn't exactly dreaded Christmas but he hadn't been looking forward to it either. Now, however, he had a wonderful boyfriend who was bouncing around his room planning a three-day roadtrip that he'd do only to get Sam home.

“...and of course I gotta ask Cas if it's okay if I bring Bagel -”

“Wait, you're bringing the dog?”

Gabriel stopped in his energetic preparations and stared disbelievingly at his phone. “ _Of course_ I'm bringing Bagel, I can't just leave him here!”

“Is he okay with being in a car for so long?” Sam asked doubtfully, thinking of the hyperactive little dog.

“Oh, he loves roadtrips just as much as I do. Sleeps a lot but that's fine. I've taken him with me several times and he was always the smallest problem. Also needs less pee-breaks than most humans...”

Sam chuckled. “Okay. If you say so.”

They – or rather Gabe – talked for two more hours, planning every detail of their roadtrip, including where to stay overnight and what dog treats to pack, before Gabriel opened the door to let Bagel say goodnight to Sam (the dog licked the phone for a solid ten seconds before he barked, frustrated, and jumped onto Gabriel's bed).

After saying goodnight to Gabe and his dog, Sam texted Dean again, telling him that he should mentally prepare their father for the visit of an energetic dog (Dean replied with the eye-rolling emoji; he knew Sam's love for dogs and probably assumed that Sam had gotten himself a pet) and then went straight to bed.

 


	11. On the eleventh day of Sabriel…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! ♥♥ Thank you so much for your patience! I'll try my best to get the last chapter finished before 2017. I hope everyone has a great time and wonderful holidays. I love all of you so much :)

**MILD SPOILERS FOR SEASON 11 IN THIS CHAPTER**

—

The finals were finished (Sam was fairly certain that he had passed all of them) and Sam had packed everything he needed for Christmas break (which wasn't much, considering that most of the things he owned were back in Lawrence anyway). He was beyond excited for the trip, his excitement growing with every passing hour. He'd be going on a roadtrip with Gabriel, the man who never failed to make him smile, and Bagel, the cutest and most cuddly dog in the world.

Sam was trying not to think about what would await him at the destination but whenever the thought of home did come up, he told himself that it would be a nice Christmas. Maybe not seeing each other for almost four months had helped his relationship with his father, and if it hadn't – well, then it would just be like every other Christmas before. At least this time Sam had something to look forward to, namely going back to college and seeing a certain _someone_ again.

That someone now texted Sam that he would be at his house in twenty minutes and that Sam should get ready. Sam couldn't help but smile in anticipation. Twenty-six hours of Gabriel – and only Gabriel – lay ahead. His heart began to race at the thought of spending two nights in a motel room with his boyfriend. (Gabriel had looked up some dog-friendly motels on their way.)

He checked his bags for the millionth time to see if he had everything he needed and walked around his apartment one more time to make sure that everything was turned off and all the windows were shut. Then he put on his jacket and took his backpack. At that moment the doorbell rang.

“Ho ho ho, merry Christmas!” Gabriel held a mistletoe above his head when Sam opened the door.

Sam's smile widened into a grin. “Merry Christmas,” he replied and leaned down to kiss his boyfriend on the lips. Gabriel tasted sweet; like chocolate and oranges and a smack of cinnamon. As soon as their lips met, Gabriel dropped the mistletoe and wrapped his arms around Sam's neck, pulling him down further and kissing him harder.

When their lips parted the two young men stood close for a few more moments. Sam, who had closed his eyes, opened them slowly to see Gabriel's honey colored ones right in front of him.

“Ready?” Gabriel asked quietly. Sam could feel Gabe's breath on his face.

“As ready as I'll ever be,” Sam whispered back and gently wriggled out of Gabriel's embrace. “Let's go!”

He reached for his bags once more, closed the door and locked it behind him, before turning back to Gabriel, who swiftly grabbed one of the bags in Sam's hands and proceeded to carry it to the car.

–

Bagel was thrilled to see Sam. As soon as Gabriel had opened the back door to put Sam's backpack in, Bagel jumped out and looked up at Sam, wagging his tail in excitement. Sam laughed and crouched down to pet the dog gently.

“Well, are you as excited as I am about this trip?”

Bagel barked. Gabriel knelt down next to the dog and hid his mouth in his fur. “Of course I am! Dad has promised me lots of treats if I behave and it also means I get to see you the whole day!”

“Aw, I'm looking forward to seeing you the whole day, too, Bagel!”

“And what about me?!” Gabriel said pouting playfully.

“You too, honey bun!”

“ _Honey bun?!”_

But Sam just laughed and kissed Gabriel. (Right there on the street! He was becoming so straightforward!)

“That was a joke, Jellybean.”

“No.”

“Pancake?” Sam suggested and put Bagel back onto the backseat.

“ _No.”_

“Pudding?”

Gabe just shook his head.

“Candy cane?” He opened the passenger door and got into the car.

“If you don't stop talking, I might kick you out in Death Valley.” Gabriel entered as well.

“But we don't even drive through Death Valley, Peanut.”

“I'll take a detour,” Gabriel mumbled and started the engine. Music came out of the speakers immediately, making any further conversation impossible, at least until they turned onto the highway where Gabriel turned down the volume.

Bagel had curled up on the backseat, fast asleep and quietly snoring.

The weather had changed. It was still cold but not cold enough for it to be snowing. Instead, an icy wind had taken up, forcing Gabe to drive slower than the speed limit and also causing them to turn the heating up to a maximum. It was cozy in the little car and with the seat pushed back as far as possible, Sam could even stretch his legs.

“So, Christmas break, huh?” Gabe asked after a while.

“Yeah. Not really looking forward to seeing my dad that long.”

“Is he really that bad?”

Sam shrugged. “We just don't get along that well.”

“Does he know who's driving you home?”

“I said you were a friend.”

They were silent for almost two minutes before Gabriel asked quietly: “Does your family know? About you liking boys and all?”

Sam nodded. “Yes, they do. Dad wasn't thrilled when I told them. Didn't help my relationship with him. But we didn't get along before, so that's not the problem.”

“And your brother?”

“Oh, Dean's cool with it. At least he said so.”

“Your family doesn't sound too bad, though. I mean, you don't get along with your dad that well but at least you're talking.”

“Aren't you?”

Gabriel sighed. He was quiet for a moment, passing a slower car, before he said: “Neither Mike nor Luce were home for Christmas last year. Actually, Luce hasn't been home for a couple of years. Says he has to work but we all think it's because he and dad had a big fight once. We're not even sure if that fight is actually a thing because neither of them will talk about it but we assume it. I don't know for sure, but I think he hasn't even _called_ dad for at least two years...”

Gabe passed another car, then he continued: “Raphael has to work during the holidays but he'll be home for New Year's. And Dad won't realize it's Christmas until I show up with a Christmas tree as soon as I'm back from Castiel's . I told you, I don't need to be home on the 25th. Also, did I mention, my aunt Amara tried to break out of prison last Christmas to see dad. He was furious. He doesn't talk about her, ever.” He sighed again. “I don't even know what she's in for... Anyway, Castiel's the only sane one in my family, so I'd rather spend Christmas with him than my brothers...”

“Wow...” Sam mumbled. Gabriel had talked a lot about his family but he'd never mentioned any of _that_. “I mean, I'm sorry! I'm bitching about my terrible Christmas while you -”

“Oh, shut up, _cupcake!_ ” Gabriel laughed. It sounded a little forced. “I still have Bagel. And you! And I'd love to have some potato chips now.”

Sam smiled. “I can help with that.” He pulled an enormous bag of chips out of their provisions bag and opened it. “There you go.”

“Thanks, Samshine.” Without taking his eyes off the road, Gabriel plunged his hand into the bag and started stuffing chips into his mouth. “And now,” he champed, “let's forget all the negativity!”

He turned the volume up and the sound of _“Jingle Bells”_ filled the car. Bagel didn't even stir.

–

They drove on for several hours, stopping once for gas and letting Bagel run around for ten minutes. After finding a McDonald's and having lunch, they swapped seats so Sam was driving. They had switched to lighter topics and after a while Gabriel turned up the volume again and started singing along to the songs on the radio. When they found a station that played only Christmas music, Gabriel nudged Sam gently.

“Come on, Samshine, let's get into the Christmas spirit! Sing along!”

“No way!” Sam rolled his eyes. “I can't sing!”

“Neither can I and yet I still do it.”

“Gabe, believe it or not but you sing beautifully.” Sam blushed. He meant it, though.

“Saaaaammy, don't be boring!” Gabe whined. “See, the next one's easy; everyone knows the lyrics to _Last Christmas!_ ”

“But -”

“Do you know the lyrics?”

“Yes, but -”

“Then _sing!_ ”

Sam's internal struggle lasted for about twenty seconds in which Gabriel blurted out the text at full volume while grinning at Sam. Eventually, Sam gave in.

 _Once bitten and twice shy_  
I keep my distance but you still catch my eye  
Tell me baby do you recognize me?  
Well it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me

He had to admit it was fun. Sam didn't usually sing, not even in the shower, because he couldn't stand his own singing voice. But with Gabriel next to him, a snoring Bagel in the backseat and the volume turned up so loud he could barely hear his own voice, he was actually enjoying himself.

When the next song began, Sam started singing without hesitation: “I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need...”

Over the course of the next two and a half hours they sang along to the songs until they were out of breath and thirsty like hell. Sam's favorite song to sing was  _'White Christmas'_ , while Gabriel preferred _'Holly Jolly Christmas'_. They even sang songs they didn't know the lyrics to. And because there are only so many Christmas songs, they were eventually repeated.

–

They found a dog-friendly motel just after crossing the state line to Utah. When asked if a room with one king-sized bed would be okay with them (the alternative would have been two separate rooms with a queen-bed each), they happily accepted. Sam parked the car outside the door to their room and they carried their bags inside. Bagel was awake by now and sniffed around the room with great interest. Gabriel had told Sam that it wasn't the first time that Bagel spent a night in a motel but that he was always excited about it.

They ordered a takeaway (there was an Indian restaurant just down the street), fed Bagel (he ate like he was starving, even though Gabe had fed him around lunchtime), took a shower each (not together, though) and eventually slumped down onto the ginormous bed with their dinner, the TV turned on, showing some cheesy Hollywood movie (one of those that don't have a real plot - “It's called romantic comedy,” Gabe said).

The boys didn't talk until the movie was over and they were half-way through the next “romantic comedy”. Sam was tired. Feeling bloated from all the food he had eaten and exhausted from the long drive, his eyes fell shut every now and again. A glance to his boyfriend showed Sam that Gabe was just as tired as he was. The blond's eyes were half-shut and he was yawning every ten seconds or so. Bagel was curled into a ball at the end of the bed, sleeping and snoring. Even though he had done nothing but sleep the entire day, it seemed like the trip had exhausted him, too.

“Gabe?” Sam mumbled, his eyes closing again.

“Mhm?” Gabe sounded like he was going to fall asleep any minute.

“We should go to bed,” said Sam without moving.

“Hm, yeah. We should.” Gabe yawned and stretched. Then he turned his head to look at Sam. “Let's set an alarm for tomorrow morning. I'll go brush my teeth real quick.”

Ten minutes later the TV was turned off, the lights were out and both boys were lying next to each other on the bed. While Sam had locked himself in the bathroom to change, Gabe had slipped out of his clothes and into his pajamas in their room. Sam had blushed and turned away, whereupon Gabe had laughed and – as soon as he'd been dressed – walked over to hug his boyfriend tightly. (Sam had blushed harder.)

Though tired, Sam couldn't sleep right away. He'd said goodnight to Gabe and they had kissed, then Gabe had rolled onto his stomach, closed his eyes and was sound asleep instantly. Sam watched him for a few moments, then he also closed his eyes and after a couple of minutes he fell asleep, too.

–

Two hours later Sam woke up feeling warm. It took him a few moments to realize where he was and then another few to comprehend what was causing the warmth. He smiled and scooted a little closer to his boyfriend, who had wrapped his arms around Sam's body and placed his head onto Sam's shoulder, slightly drooling onto him. Sam carefully raised a hand and pushed Gabriel's hair back to kiss him on the forehead before his eyes closed again, his arms unconsciously returning the embrace.

 

 


	12. On the twelfth day of Sabriel…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! I’m sorry this took so long, I was busy at work and then there were some technical difficulties… But it’s here now! Thank you for everyone who has liked, shared, commented and read the story – you guys are awesome! Also a big thanks to my beta readingravenclaw.tumblr.com, she’s the best ♥
> 
> EPILOGUE WILL BE POSTED TOMORROW

They had pancakes for breakfast and took Bagel, who was hyperactive and crazy because he had done nothing but sleep for the last day and a half, for a long walk. It was a cold morning and Sam expected snow for later in the day since they were heading east and he knew the weather in his hometown.

Bagel went completely nuts, running around them and in between their feet and jumping up at them and barking at squirrels and even trying to catch a bird, a useless attempt considering his short legs.

Sam texted Dean their current location and their estimated arrival time, which he stated as “tomorrow afternoon”.

When Bagel had finally calmed down, the boys carried him to the car, where he immediately fell asleep, and then set off for another long drive. Gabriel had once again turned on the radio and once again they were singing along to Christmas music.

It had been a relaxing night and morning. Sam thought he'd never slept any better than with a cuddly Gabriel next to him and a snoring Bagel at their feet. Aside from that one time when Gabriel had probably turned in his sleep and started to hug Sam, Sam hadn't woken up once. When their alarm woke the boys up at seven in the morning they had both felt rested despite the short night.

“Good morning, Samshine,” Gabriel had mumbled, smiling up at Sam and kissing his chin.

“Morning, Gabe,” Sam had repeated and rubbed his eyes.

Gabriel had put his head back on Sam's chest, not quite ready to get up yet and Sam hadn't complained. They hadn't talked but Sam knew that Gabriel was awake; he could hear him breathe. His eyes staring up at the patchy ceiling, not thinking anything in particular, his mind perfectly willing to go back to sleep, Sam had absentmindedly lifted a hand and started to comb Gabe's hair with his fingers. It was soft and silky and smelled of apples. Sam had never noticed how long it was. He unconsciously pushed his own hair out of his face. His bangs were getting annoyingly long. But Gabriel's hair – Gabriel's hair was perfect.

“Sammy,” Gabriel had mumbled after about ten minutes. He sounded so sleepy, Sam wouldn't have been surprised if he had fallen asleep right then.

“Hm?”

“I think Bagel needs to pee.”

The dog had indeed been awake and now that Gabriel had pointed it out to Sam, Sam had heard the whimpering and the scratching at the door as well. He'd sighed: “Alright, let's get up then.” and after a couple of seconds Gabe had actually pushed back the blanket, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and gotten out of bed.

“Would you mind giving me the gummy bears, please?” Gabe interrupted Sam's thoughts. “Also, we're almost out of gas.”

“There's a gas station two miles from here.” Sam pointed at a sign next to the road and handed Gabriel the bag of sweets he'd asked for.

–

They continued driving, getting stuck in traffic at one point, but even though Sam was driving, he kept calm. This was entirely thanks to Gabriel, who turned up the volume once more (so loud it even woke Bagel up), opened the windows and sang as loud as he could. At first Sam was slightly embarrassed by his boyfriend's behavior but eventually he caught on, turned off the engine and sang along. Ten minutes later they had to close the windows again since it was freezing and Gabriel turned down the volume. He now proceeded to google jokes and puns on his phone and read them out to Sam. Bagel went back to sleep.

After two hours of being stuck on the highway without moving so much as a few feet, the traffic slowly started to dissolve and Sam started the car again. In less than two minutes they were back to full speed.

Sam didn't know how Gabriel managed to be so thin. As far as he could tell, his boyfriend lived mainly off sugar and the occasional pizza.

“It's Christmas!” Gabriel explained, his mouth full of chocolate, when Sam asked him.

For dinner they went to a small burger place just off the highway, where they also let Bagel stretch his little legs for half an hour before Gabriel drove for another fifty miles to make up for the time lost in the traffic jam.

They checked into another motel at half-past ten at night. Sam went straight to the bathroom to take a shower and brush his teeth, while Gabe took Bagel for a walk around the car park. At eleven the lights were out and the boys lay close to each other on the bed, Bagel already asleep at their feet.

“Gabe?” Sam whispered.

“Mhm?” came Gabriel's sleepy voice from next to him.

“How can I ever thank you for driving me home all these miles?”

“You could start by giving me a goodnight kiss and shutting up.”

Sam grinned, then turned his head and pressed his lips to Gabe's. His eyes instinctively closed and when he felt Gabriel's arms wrapping around him, he immediately returned the hug.

“I'm really tired,” Gabriel mumbled after breaking the kiss. His face was so close to Sam's, the younger boy could see every detail of it, even in the dark. Gabriel had wonderful big eyes, even when they were sleepy. His hair was slightly damp from the shower and hung low into his forehead. Sam raised a hand and gently pushed it away. Gabriel's head dropped forward and now their foreheads were pressed together. Sam felt Gabriel's minty breath on his face and closed his eyes again. Gabe was too close to properly look at anyway.

“Me too. Let's just sleep, okay?” He could feel his boyfriend nod.

“Good night, Sammy.”

“Good night, Gabe.”

Then they fell asleep, almost immediately, lying in each others arms, their bodies pressed close together underneath their giant blanket.

–

Sam woke up because it was cold. He was still lying on his side but Gabriel had turned; he was now lying with his back to Sam – completely wrapped in the blanket. With a look at his watch, Sam decided that it was worth going back to sleep for another hour and so he tried to pull some of the blanket away from Gabe but the barista just held on tighter.

“Hey, Gabe! Wake up, you stole the blanket!”

But either Gabe didn't hear him or he didn't want to move because he just continued sleeping. Sam tried talking to Gabe for another minute, before he resorted to shaking him by the shoulders. Finally his boyfriend opened his eyes.

“What's wrong?” he yawned.

“You stole the blanket,” Sam said. He had goosebumps by now and his teeth were chattering. It was really cold.

“Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't notice! Here...” Gabe unwrapped himself and held up one corner of the blanket.

Sam gratefully slid under the covers and immediately felt warmer. When his teeth wouldn't stop chattering, Gabe flung his arms around his taller boyfriend, spooning him and snuggling against his back. Sam took hold of Gabriel's hands and closed his eyes again. The blanket was pulled up to his chin and Gabriel was a wonderful human-heater.

Eventually, Sam stopped shaking and both went back to sleep.

–

Sam and Gabe got up early the next morning, had a quick breakfast and then continued their drive, trying once again to make up for lost time.

They arrived in Lawrence around 6pm. Sam felt his heartbeat speed up as soon as they left the highway. The last three days had been an amazing time and they'd almost let him forget where he was going. He didn't want to go home, he didn't want to not see his boyfriend and the dog for so long. And he didn't want to see his father, didn't want to fight with his father. That feeling of unwillingness and maybe even fear almost made Sam give Gabriel the wrong directions.

At that moment his phone buzzed. _'hey, where are you?'_ It was a message from Dean.

_'ten minutes away'_ Sam texted back.

“Everything okay?” Gabe asked, shooting worried side-glances at Sam.

“Yeah. No. I don't know.”

“Do you want me to pull over and talk about it?”

Sam shrugged. Gabriel checked the mirrors then turned onto the side of the road and stopped the car. He unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to face Sam.

“What's wrong?”

Sam shrugged again. “I don't know. It's just... I'm not really looking forward to seeing my dad, that's all.”

“Sam,” Gabriel said calmly. “Look at me.” When Sam did, Gabe's warm, whisky-colored eyes looked at him empathetically. “I get that, I really do. But it's only for two weeks. And if you want me to get you, just give me a call and I'll be there within...three days.” Gabriel smiled at Sam encouragingly.

Sam smiled back, although his lips didn't feel right in that position.

“I'll facetime you every day,” Gabe promised. “And you can talk to Bagel whenever you want.”

Upon hearing his name, the little Corgi raised his head and started wagging his tail. When he saw Sam's sad smile, he stood up, got onto his hind legs, his fore-paws on the backrest of Sam's seat and licked Sam's ear. Now Sam's smile was genuine and after a few seconds he even started laughing. Gabe was laughing as well and the dog, seeing that he had succeeded in his mission, barked happily.

–

Ten minutes later Gabriel parked the car in the drive-way of Sam's childhood home. The garage door was opened and he could see his brother's old Impala parked next to his dad's four-by-four.

They got out of the car, unloading Sam's bags and letting Bagel jump outside.

“You ready?” Gabe asked and quickly squeezed Sam's hand.

Sam nodded and together they walked to the front door and rang the bell.

The door was opened within seconds and when he saw his brother, Sam felt a rush relief, joy and homesickness overwhelming him. Dean was smiling widely and pulled Sam into an awkward hug.

“Hey, little brother! Good to see you again. What the hell happened to your hair?” he then added, pulling away from Sam and critically eyeing the brown strands hanging into Sam's face.

“It grew.”

“Don't they have hairdressers in California? Or at least some scissors?”

Sam rolled his eyes and playfully punched his brother's shoulder. “Shut up, Dean! Maybe I like it this way?”

“Maybe college has turned you into a girl?” Dean grimaced. At that moment, someone cleared their throat from inside the house and the grin dropped from Sam's face.

John Winchester had appeared behind his oldest son. He was just looking like Sam remembered him: tall, bearded and scary. Father and son looked at each other quietly for a few seconds. Sam vividly remembered the last time he'd seen his father.

“ _Fine! I guess it's for the better! Go on, run away to California!”_

“ _I'm not running away, dad! I got a scholarship!”_

“ _And what exactly is wrong with the universities in Kansas?!”_

“ _It's...nothing... Dad, just let me explain -”_

“ _No, I won't! I don't want to hear it! Oh, you're lucky your mother isn't with us anymore! She wouldn't let you get away that easily!”_

And with that John had slammed the living room door shut. The next morning Dean had driven Sam to the airport before their dad had woken up.

Now they were standing almost in the same spot as the last time they'd seen each other. Sam's heart was racing and he unconsciously made a step back. He was certain that Gabriel would take him back to California again if his dad would snap. But to his surprise and relief, John smiled. Not only that, but he stepped forward, past Dean and pulled Sam into a tight hug.

“It's good to see you, son.”

“It's good to see you, too, dad,” Sam replied, realizing that he meant it.

Both men then stepped back and John looked past his son to where Gabriel was standing in respectful distance.

“And who is that?”

“That is -” Sam began but was interrupted by Bagel who suddenly appeared out of nowhere and jumped up at Sam's father with excitement.

All of his fears rushing back to him, Sam watched his dad carefully. He had no idea how John would react but for all he knew, his father might freak out. But John surprised his son a second time by crouching down and gently petting Bagel on the head. “Excuse me, I should ask: Who are these two -” he considered Bagel for a moment, then continued “- gentlemen?”

Gabriel had stepped forward by now and was standing next to Sam. Against his usual habits, he hadn't yet said a word. Bagel barked.

“That's um...” Sam hesitated, then said: “That's Bagel, Gabe's Corgi and this is... This is Gabriel my...my boyfriend.” He grabbed Gabriel's hand, half to prove his point, half to steady himself. He watched his dad and brother anxiously. He'd had brought girls home and he'd told them that he also liked boys but this was the first time he'd ever brought a boy home and introduced him as his boyfriend.

Dean was the first one to react. He smiled awkwardly and extended a hand to Gabriel. “Hi. I'm Dean. Sam's brother. Um...nice to meet you, I guess? Sorry, it's just... Sam has never mentioned you...”

“I-it hasn't been... We haven't... I -” Sam stuttered but Gabriel interrupted him.

“Hi Dean. Nice to meet you, too. Sam has certainly mentioned you.”

That's when John stood up again. “Nice dog you got there,” he said to Gabriel and shook his hand as well. Sam couldn't decipher his dad's facial expression or the tone of his voice. “Would you like to come in and have dinner with us?”

Gabriel shook his head. “No, sir. I'm afraid I need to leave again, I have to make it to Topeka before sundown. But thank you for the offer; I'd love to stay next time.”

John's face didn't give away what he thought about the possibility of seeing Gabriel a second time.

John and Dean said goodbye to Gabe and told Sam that they'd wait inside. As soon as his dad and brother were gone, Sam let go of Gabriel's hand and instead pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. He hadn't realized that he'd been holding his breath.

“Thank you, Gabe. For everything.”

“Not a problem, Samshine. Call me if you need me, okay?”

Sam nodded fiercely, trying not to cry when Gabriel kissed him and picked Bagel up, so Sam could say goodbye to the dog as well. Bagel, again sensing Sam's mood encouragingly licked Sam's face until Gabriel carried him back to the car.

“Bye, Sammy! See you in the new year!”

“Goodbye, Gabe! Thank you for driving me home!” Sam called back and wiped a mix of tears and dog-drool off his face.

He smiled and waved as the little red car left the driveway and moved in the direction of the highway.

 


	13. Epilogue

_'Hey! How's Christmas going? -G <3'_

_'Good. Have you arrived yet? xx'_

_'Yes, about half an hour ago. What did your dad say about us?'_

_'Not much. Just gave me a very awkward talk about...safety. Dean almost choked he was laughing so hard. But then dad reminded him that he almost got his girlfriend pregnant last month and he shut up real quick.'_

_'Oh no, poor Samshine! Well at least you're informed now ;D'_

_'Shut up, pumpkin! >:P'_

_':3'_

_'How's Bagel?'_

_'He's not sure what to think about Cas' 20 million cats. One has just smacked him. I think he hates them.'_

_'Aw, poor Bagel :('_

_'You'll keep me updated?'_

_'Sure. Good night, Gabe :*'_

_'Night Sammy :*'_

–

“MERRY CHRISTMAS SAMSHINE!!!”

_'Jeez, Gabe, at least warn me when you send me a screaming voicemail, I'm not the only one in the house! Merry Christmas :*'_

_'Sorry, Sammy, didn't think. How are you? What has Santa brought you?'_

_'A new phone. I have no idea how dad could have known that I smashed my old one but here I am, texting from my new one!'_

_'That's awesome, though! How are you getting along?'_

_'Surprisingly good. He hasn't brought you up again but he talks about Bagel all the time. I think he wants to adopt him.'_

_'HE WONT GET HIM THO'_

_'Haha, don't worry. If it ever comes to that, Dean'll put his foot down. He doesn't want pets and dad doesn't want Dean to move out, so...^^'_

_'Oh well...'_

_'How's your Christmas?'_

_'Great. Castiel's a fantastic cook. Bagel's traumatized, though. He won't ever be able to be friends with a cat again.'_

_'That bad? XD'_

_'Very bad. Listen, we'll go for a walk now and then I'm driving back home to see dad. I'll call you later, okay?'_

_'Okay. Merry Christmas. Love you xx'_

_'Love you, too :*'_

–

_'Made it home. Wanna facetime?'_

“Hey Gabe,” Sam smiled. His boyfriend looked tired, his hair was a mess and he had bags underneath his eyes but he was smiling widely.

“Hi. It's good to see you.”

Sam rolled onto his stomach. He was lying on his bed in his old room, eating leftover pie. It had started to snow outside but inside it was warm and cozy.

“How was the drive?”

“Good. Surprisingly little traffic. Oh, wait. I think Bagel wants to say hi.”

Suddenly a black dog nose appeared on Sam's new phone sniffing excitedly. Bagel barked and licked the screen until Gabe pulled him back, so they were lying next to each other. Bagel wagged his tail and stared happily at Sam.

“I think he misses you,” Gabriel laughed. Then he added: “I miss you, too. I wish you could be here now.”

“Me too,” Sam sighed. “How's your dad?”

“Oh, right. I haven't told you. When I arrived, Mike and Luce were here and they had a tree and decorations and everything. Whatever happened all those years ago, they seem to have reconciled! Sammy, I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have the family together again! Raphael is coming home tomorrow and dad is just so _happy_!” Gabriel was beaming now.

“That's great news! I'm so happy for you!” Sam couldn't help but smile as well, despite missing Gabriel so much and wanting nothing more than to be with him right now.

“Yeah... Everything alright with you?”

Sam nodded. “Now that the holidays are over, Dean and dad are working again but I don't mind. They also got me a plane ticket to San Francisco for the third.”

“Wow, that means you'll be home almost a week before college starts again? Mind if I pick you up from the airport?”

“Not at all!” Sam laughed, looking forward to that day like a child would to Christmas.

“What are you do- Oh, wait a second.” Gabe put his phone down and a second later a pink dog tongue appeared again, licking the screen.

Sam laughed. “Get away from the phone, Bagel!”

The dog barked excitedly when he heard Sam's voice and pressed his face to Gabe's phone. Sam laughed even harder.

“Oh god, Bagel! What the hell?!” Gabe was back and took the phone away from his dog. “Listen, Sammy, I gotta go, we'll have dinner in a sec. I meant what I said, though. I'll pick you up from the airport and then we can spend some time together. Promise.”

“Okay.” Sam was smiling, even though he was sad to have to say goodbye to his boyfriend again.

“See you in a couple of days, okay?”

“Okay. Love you. Have a great time with your family!”

“You too, Samshine!” Gabriel blew a kiss, then he ended the call.

A few moments later, Sam received a text message. It was a picture of Gabe and Bagel in front of a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. Gabe was smiling and Bagel looked like he was too. Sam laughed and then sniffled. He turned his head to look outside. It was a beautiful view. Snowflakes were slowly dancing from the sky, covering the houses and trees.

Sam remembered waking up to this view as a kid. He remembered jumping out of bed in excitement to see what presents would await him under the Christmas tree. He remembered the disappointment when he found Dean making breakfast in the kitchen, who told him that their dad hadn't come home last night. He remembered the presents that ranged from toy cars in good years to chocolate bars wrapped in gift-paper in the years in which his dad wasn't home.

Sam thought about the last holidays. How Gabe had driven him home, how he'd got a phone, how his dad was there and how they'd had fun, all three of them. Sam smiled. He was excited to see Gabriel again in a few days but he was also happy right now, sitting on his old bed in his old room with his family just a few blocks away.

–

He'd just got off the plane and went through baggage claim. Now he was approaching the area where people were waiting for their loved ones. It didn't take him long to spot the short blond man amidst the crowd of people. He walked faster, wanted to run like they did in movies; run, drop everything on the way, not caring about the people around him and then fall into Gabriel's arms.

Gabriel was holding a mistletoe above his head and when Sam finally reached him they kissed. It was a sweet, soft kiss. Sam could hear people cheer in the background. He ignored them completely, though; he had only eyes for Gabe. His hair was slightly longer than the last time Sam had seen him and his eyes were shining brightly.

“It's good to have you back, Samshine. I missed you.”

“I missed you, too, Gabe.”

“Come on, Bagel's waiting outside.” Gabriel took Sam's bag in one hand, with the other he took his boyfriend's hand. They looked at each other for a second, smiling, then they walked hand-in-hand past all the other people gathered around the waiting area and outside into a beautiful sunset.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think <3
> 
> \---
> 
> Beta: readingravenclaw.tumblr.com
> 
> Story can also be found at ginnylilywriting.tumblr.com


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